|
|
|
|
|
“Why do you think New York always wins?” Frank Abagnale (Christopher Walken) once asked his son.
“Because they have Mickey Mantle?” his son, Frank, Jr. (Leonardo DiCaprio) answered.
“Nope -- because the other team can’t take their eyes off the pinstripes,” Frank, Sr. answers. And with that, Frank Abagnale, Jr. got his first lesson in the art of distraction.
After his father loses everything to the IRS and his mom leaves in search of greener pastures, sixteen-year-old Frank runs off to make enough money to get his parents back together. Instead of doing it the traditional way, though, Frank uses his head (and a few of the tricks he learned from his dad) to do it the fun way. He impersonates an airline pilot and flies around the world for free. He forges diplomas and practices medicine and law. And, at the same time, he forges checks for millions of dollars and repeatedly outsmarts the FBI -- particularly Carl Hanratty (Tom Hanks), who won’t rest until he brings Frank in.
Catch Me If You Can is based on a true story, making it a great example of how well crime pays. I think the only way to describe it is to call it devilishly fun. For a couple of hours, you get to see what it’s like to break the law and totally get away with it -- before going back to your normal, law-abiding life. It’s fast-paced and energetic, and the cast did an excellent job. I especially enjoyed Tom Hanks’ performance (which I hope will satisfy those of you who were troubled by my so-so review of his performance in Road to Perdition). Catch Me If You Can is well worth a few hours of your time.
|
|
|
|
